I was watching “The Pride of the Yankees the other day. Outside of the star, Gary Cooper, there were small parts in the movie played by the real ballplayers themselves. Of course, the most recognizable player was Babe Ruth. Babe had several scenes with Cooper in the movie. Maybe the most memorable was when teammates egged Gehrig on to take a bite out of the Babes’ new hat. Babe was…
Fred ” Dixie ” Walker won a batting title, played in two world series, and won an RBI title, and yet he is most remembered by fans for being charged as the man who tried to keep Jackie Robinson off of the Dodgers. He was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, on September 24th, 1910. He was the firstborn son of Ewart and Flossie Walker. Villa Rica is a small factory…
A few days ago, we celebrated Veterans Day. A day that we thank those who have served our country over the years. Protecting the freedoms we have all come to cherish. In a couple of weeks, the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor will be observed. There are not many still alive who remember that day and even fewer who survived it. What followed over the next 4 years was…
This is a follow up to the best that have ever played in my estimation. Some I never saw. Others I saw many times. It will consist of the starting 8, a pitching staff of 12 and the bench players. Not an easy thing to do. Starters 1st Base Easiest pick for me. Gil Hodges. 370 lifetime homers as a Dodger First to win the Gold Glove when they were…
If you want a sure fire way to start an argument, just pick the best players ever for your team. Everyone has their own ideas of who are the greatest players in a team’s history. And the Dodgers have a long and colorful past. 67 years in Brooklyn as a part of MLB, and 62 in LA. So, choosing the best ever is a hard task. In this case, I…
I got to thinking about this the other day when I was discussing Steve Garvey and why I did not think he belonged in the hall with a friend of mine. He is a Dodger fan who lives in San Diego and Garv was one of his favorite Dodgers ever. I thought it would be interesting to go back in time and check out all of the players who have…
I’m going to come right out and say that I believe that Gil Hodges should be in the Hall of Fame. Much has been written about the subject and nothing that I offer here is unique or original to me. I will just say this, if a player can be voted in for being a tremendous person, then Gill Hodges would be a unanimous first ballot selection. I was too…
The one that I do not understand even for a second is why it is not OK to bunt late in the game to break up a no-hitter. The sole purpose of standing at home plate is to get to first base. If it wasn’t, there would be no first base. A bunt is a legal, underused tool. If it is legitimate at other times in a game, then it is legit with two out in the ninth in a possible no-hitter. It is not the job of the batter to massage the pitcher’s ego. For heaven’s safe be prepared to field a bunt. Stop whining, you have the ball and can do whatever you want with it and you have eight players to back you up. The hitter is alone with a little round bat.